If you’re consistently sleepy in the waking hours, then there’s something amiss. Either you’re deliberately shortchanging your sleeptime requirements or you have a health problem or sleep disorder that’s disrupting your nighttimes.
Sleep problems and health issues are often interrelated. One can lead to the other, but the result is usually the same — problems in the daytime with energy, focus and wakefulness.
Ask yourself these questions to determine if you may have a sleep disorder. Do you:
- feel sleepy or irritable during the day?
- feel like you have to take a nap almost every day?
- require caffeinated beverages to keep yourself going?
- have difficulty staying awake when sitting still, watching television or reading?
- feel very tired or fall asleep while driving?
- find it difficult to concentrate?
- often get told by others that you look tired?
- find yourself reacting slowly?
- have trouble controlling your emotions?
You’ll know if you’re trying to burn life’s candles at both ends by staying up too late and robbing yourself of sleep time. You can also examine your sleep hygiene to determine if you’re making it difficult to get a good night’s sleep. For instance, you may be leaving a TV on while trying to sleep or drinking caffeinated beverages too close to bedtime. There are all kinds of things we can do that robs us of our natural ability to sleep well.